The Poet
|rank= |position= |gender=♂ Male |height=13'8" ft. *Originally 6'2" ft. |weapons= |equipment=*The Resonance *The Tuner |vehicles= |hair=Black *Originally Bluish-White |eyes=Azure *Originally Grey |cyber=*The Resonance *The Tuner |era=Age of the Forerunners |types= |notable= |affiliation= * ** }} The only child of a single mother, the known as the Poet came into being on the Forerunner colony world of Somnolence. Named Lance of the Blessed Sanctum by his mother, Sanctum spent his entire childhood wandering the endless gardens of his home. His mother died when he was still young, prompting him to join the . Sanctum went on to become a full-known Promethean warrior who would fight hundreds of battles during the course of his life. The Poet would eventually become known across the entire Warrior-Servant Corps and possibly, the entire . But even long after the activation of the , the Poet still lives on through his various works and memoirs which have been collected by across the galaxy. Biography Early Childhood Sometime long ago, a young female named Lady of the First Dances conceived a child on the colony world of Somnolence. Naming him Lance of the Blessed Sanctum, the mother Warrior-Servant raised her child in the expansive gardens Somnolence was known for and hoped he too would follow in her steps as a defender of the . Because his mother couldn't spend much time with him, Sanctum was often left to his own devices on Somnolence; he occupied himself with long walks through the gardens, casual hikes across the mountains and isolated nights down by the ocean. Through these peace walks, Sanctum found himself enthralled by the beauty of nature and so, took up music and poetry to better document his experiences. Mother's Death Little less than a decade after his birth, Sanctum was approached by several Forerunner . With heavy hearts and saddened eyes, they informed the young Forerunner that his mother was dead. They explained that she and the ship she served upon was signaled by a distressed Forerunner colony where the local sun inexplicably hit critical mass. Tasked with the evacuation of high priority civilians, Sanctum's mother perished in a desperate bid to shield a dozen and from a lethal blast. The Juridicals then went on to explain that they were to collect Sanctum for the funeral. Only several dozen Forerunners attended, most of them Warrior-Servants who worked alongside Sanctum's mother, distant family members and a handful of colonists she helped save; the Master of the Mantle was also present, as per tradition for Forerunner funerals. After delivering a speech and carrying out the customary ceremonies, the Master of the Mantle extracted First Dances' final moments from her armor and sealed them in a for Sanctum's safekeeping. Thereafter, several of First Dances' closest friends ignited her fusion pyre and cremated her corpse. Afterword, Sanctum returned to Somnolence and fell into a deep depression. During this time, his work took a dark, melancholy tone, lacking the color and passion it had before, before stopping altogether. He spent most of his waking hours brooding and for quite some time, he forewent socializing with others. It took Sanctum several years to come to terms with his mother's death, but when he finally returned to civilization, he appeared to be mentally stable. War College Four years after his mother's death, Sanctum carried on. He reached the age where he could finally considered a by Forerunner society, meaning that he would soon have to choose his place in life. Reminiscing over his mother's final memories, he decided that he too would become a Warrior-Servant in hopes of honoring her memory. Sanctum left Somnolence behind and departed for the planet in order to begin his education as a at the . Along with several hundred other students, Sanctum was transported to Requiem via ferry. Upon arrival, they were greeted by the Sentinel, an ancient warrior charged with overseeing the College's activities and defending Requiem from invading forces. After giving them a speech and informing them of the challenges that lied ahead, the Sentinel welcomed the Manipulars into his War School. Various classes were held at the College, ranging traditional memory-based tests to live-fire training exercises all across Requiem. Assigned to the location that would eventually called the by the , Sanctum met three fellow that he would eventually befriend: Shattered Brilliance of a Mourned Star, Tears of an Astral Gate and The Traveler Who Forgets Fear. At first, Sanctum displayed an apt amount of skill during the live-fire training scenarios but his most notable trait was his sense of creativity. While he preformed well in the College War Games, Sanctum worried that his still-ongoing music and writing would interfere with his training. But as his classes increased in number and multiplied in difficulty, the situation became a distant concern in the back of his mind. Accused Several weeks later, Sanctum and his class partook in a live-fire War Game in the location dubbed the by the . While the majority of the class was assaulting the enemy team on the ground, Sanctum and Brilliance were expected to give air support. Just before Sanctum and Brilliance took off, a suddenly, startling the two warriors-in-training. The monitor declared Sanctum's presence was required in the Senior Staff's meeting chamber but Sanctum refused, expressing that his role was essential to his team's success. The monitor insisted, suggesting that Sanctum should go willingly before it would be forced to take "immediate action". Despite Brilliance's protests, Sanctum refused the Monitor's wishes and as a result, the ancilla locked Sanctum's armor and translocated him. Sanctum was teleported into the senior staff's meeting chambers. A number of the College's senior staff were present, including the Sentinel, but among them were several -rate Forerunners, something that frightened Sanctum. The Sentinel addressed Sanctum, calling the meeting into session to discuss Sanctum's personal activities of poetry-writing and musical composition, alarming the young Forerunner. The Sentinel explained that Sanctum's personal files were being went through as part of a routine security check, where a security ancilla discovered Sanctum's files. Viewing that Sanctum's pastimes were a direct violation of the Code, it confiscated the files and reported to a Staff Member, who then called for the meeting. Several of the staff argued that Sanctum's actions were indeed violating the ' code of selflessness. In-case Sanctum was found guilty, the Juridicals were too escort Sanctum off and out of school. On the other hand, some staff members saw Sanctum's work as tolerable or even acceptable. Among them was the Sentinel, who argued that music and poetry were not only acceptable but worthy pastimes for a Warrior-Servant, for they could "better attune them to the nature of the galaxy" and "better understand for what's worth fighting for". The opposing Staff Members reconsidered their previous notions and after a final round of voting, Sanctum was cleared of all charges. Although he was relieved to be found innocent, Sanctum was infuriated that the trial had to take place during one of his class exercises. When he was teleported back to the surface, he found his classmates beaten. Despite his friends' best attempts to persuade him otherwise, Sanctum held himself personally responsible for his team's defeat: never again would he allow his own personal problems to affect the rest of his team. Personality and Traits During his childhood as Lance of the Blessed Sanctum, the Poet displayed traits not commonly seen in Manipulars, which would later give him an edge during the disciplinary exercises taught at War School. Through his solitary hikes on Somnolence, Sanctum learned patience, the importance of one's privacy and how to be independent from other Forerunners. However, he was also shy and soft-spoken, resulting in his classmates often disregarding him during conversations. But whenever it came down to it, Sanctum was a dependable friend to stand by and was more than inclined to fulfill his duty. Following his ascension into the Warrior-Servant Corps and receiving his adult name, the Poet became substantially more outspoken and confident, as befitting a Warrior-Servant. Relationships The Instigator The Matriarch The Prodigy The Resonance The Poet's most trusted ally of all was the Resonance, his personal ancilla. Specifically tailored to his personality, the Resonance was a gift given to the Poet by Tears of an Astral Gate, also known as the Prodigy. At first, the Poet saw the Resonance as nothing more than an another ancilla but as the years went on, the two developed a genuine friendship that would last would last for millenia. Near the end of the , the Poet entrusted his life's work to the Resonance, stating that he could trust no one else with the task. The Poet expressed his feelings toward the Resonance one last time before departing with a solemn and heart-aching goodbye. The Sentinel At first, Sanctum held a typical amount of respect toward the Sentinel, given his advanced age and wisdom, as most did. Sanctum saw the old as his superior and a respected warrior, but nothing more. But after the Sentinel defended him during his trial, Sanctum began to personally respect the warrior. He admired the Sentinel's courage, and his bravery to defend the odd one out. When Sanctum later became the Poet and was officially accepted into the , the Sentinel expressed his faith in the young Warrior-Servant, claiming that he would become a "fine warrior, worthy of the Mantle". Appearance When he was still Lance of the Blessed Sanctum, the Poet stood only a little over six feet tall, had whitish-blue hair and steely grey eyes. Sanctum was considered physically attractive at this time, even by Forerunner standards; this garnered him some attention at social gatherings but he continued to be unnoticed half the time. After his initiation mutation into the Warrior-Servants, the Poet began displaying traits typical of a Warrior-Servant, such as increased muscularity, rougher facial features and the paling of his skin. In addition, the Poet's eyes shifted to a glittering shade of blue and his hair darkened to a full shade of black. Shattered Brilliance of a Mourned Star remarked on this, believing that the Poet still managed to maintain his handsome appearance, albeit in a new form. Furthermore, when the Poet was bonded with the Tuner, the Tuner's "adaptability" complimented whatever the Poet wore but since it never came off, even in public, it gave the Forerunner a cautious but battle-ready appearance. Equipment Category:Forerunners Category:Warrior-Servants